Lin An stood straight at the center of the semicircular space. His frail back was drenched in blood and human tissue, like a demon risen from hell. The black Longsword held only a few drops of blood, slowly seeping into its blade as if thirstily drinking them.
Lin An coldly surveyed the hellish scene he’d created. Countless remains littered the area—young men and women his age. Moments ago, they’d been slaughtering each other or weeping in despair. Now, they were just scattered corpses.
The space was stained crimson, thick with the stench of blood. Lin An felt no discomfort at his own handiwork. He even relished the slaughter and the metallic tang in the air. His blood-red eyes glowed faintly.
"Shut up!" Lin An suddenly roared into the silent emptiness. An outsider might think him mad. But only he heard the constant whispers in his ears.
...
"Hmm. How does this child possess our organization’s newly developed Sin Punisher Type III?" A cool, feminine voice echoed in the darkness, laced with doubt. "And... he’s actually wielding it without rejection or mutation?"
Before her, a screen displayed Lin An’s space. On it, Lin An clutched his head in pain.
"Is this the child you favored?" the woman asked, implying another presence in the shadows.
"Yes, my Lord," replied a magnetic male voice—the red-haired man from before. "I discovered him during my return voyage after the survey. Observe his eyes closely."
"Eyes? Oh? Truth-Seeing Crimson Eyes? No wonder he controls the Sin Punisher. Indeed promising. What’s his name?" Her tone sharpened with surprise.
"Lin An, my Lord," the man answered.
"He shows potential for full adaptation..." she mused. "Hmm..."
"No, my Lord. The timing isn’t right yet," the man countered. "He still has attachments. I’ve infused that person with my energy and scrambled his mind... He’s likely a madman now. Once that madman dies, we’ll proceed with Lin An’s adaptation experiment. Until then, let him train. He’s promising, but adaptation remains uncertain."
"Very well. Fetch him out, then. Hehehehe."
Silence reclaimed the darkness. The screen showing Lin An vanished.
...
"Huh? Who are you? I feel oddly familiar with you. Do we know each other? Hehehehe."
Lin An stared at Li Mo, whose face twisted into a manic grin. For the first time since the thug incident, Lin An’s perpetually blank expression flickered with emotion. He recalled the red-haired man’s words: "I can heal him, but his mind may suffer."
This was more than "suffering." Li Mo had lost his memories and gone utterly mad. But for Lin An, Li Mo’s survival was enough.
"I’m your partner. From today, we undertake missions together," Lin An stated flatly. He no longer wore tattered rags but a sleek black combat suit edged in red. Cleaned up, he was undeniably handsome.
After dropping those words, Lin An turned and walked out. The door sealed shut behind him. His cold eyes burned with resolve as he whispered, "This time... it’s my turn to repay you, big brother."
...
"Here. Give me one hand," a hunched old man rasped to the silent Lin An. His face was grotesque—long white beard like a fairy-tale villain, a hooked nose adding cruelty. Pale red eyes peered back at Lin An.
They stood in a twisted room. Crimson runes crawled like worms across the walls. At its center loomed a massive gray stone tablet, etched with the same runes. Ominous energy pulsed from it—a normal person would feel ill just standing near it.
Lin An said nothing. He silently offered his right hand, calloused yet pale. The old man drew a dagger from his waist and sliced Lin An’s palm without hesitation. Ignoring the thin wound, he pressed Lin An’s hand against the tablet.
Black energy surged from the stone, carrying faint wails. Lin An gritted his teeth against the agony—like being force-fed until bursting. Stubbornly silent, his blood-red eyes darkened further.
"Oh! Perfection! Your affinity for darkness is divine! Magnificent!" The old man’s face twisted into a sickly, fanatical grin as darkness engulfed Lin An.
Lin An stayed quiet. Time blurred until the pain faded. He was drenched in cold sweat. But now, power thrummed through him—dark energy filled his veins.
"Haha! Yes! Exactly like that, boy!" The old man circled him excitedly. "I vow to mold you into a new Dark Sovereign!"
From that day of awakening, Lin An’s life became relentless training. Mornings were spent learning energy manipulation and ancient magic under the old man. Afternoons to evenings focused on close combat and swordsmanship with a silent, burly instructor. Li Mo sometimes joined, but his manic behavior unsettled Lin An.
Six months of grueling drills forged Lin An into a formidable fighter. His height had shot up. Once frail, his body now thrummed with health and lean muscle from intense training and balanced meals.
One day, his superior summoned Lin An and Li Mo.
"Lin An, Li Mo—you’re ready for field missions," said the blond young man with narrow eyes. He smiled gently, but Lin An knew better. A department head in an organization full of lunatics and killers couldn’t be harmless.
Lin An glanced at Li Mo’s eager face, then nodded.
"Good. You now have designation codes," the man continued. "Lin An, yours is Gloom. Li Mo, yours is End."
In the Heavenly Mandate organization, designations replaced names—two words for regular members, three for elites, four for the top five. Only the mysterious leader was called "Sovereign."
"Your mission: capture the Storm Boundary Beast. It’s lingering in a rear third-tier city—a perfect opportunity," Demon Slayer added, still smiling softly.
Lin An’s pupils narrowed. "Boundary Beasts are immensely powerful! Primordial ones are nature’s darlings! Sending two low-rank fighters to capture it? Is the organization sending us to die?"
Demon Slayer didn’t flinch. "Relax. Its predecessor died recently. This one’s just a newborn. Still lethal to you, but we’ve prepared specialized gear. It’s challenging but manageable—ideal for your first mission."
So Gloom and End departed. Their faces hid under hooded black robes, shrouded in misty darkness. Even their hands looked withered, like a corpse’s.
But when Lin An returned, Li Mo was gone. Only he came back, like a stray dog. Now, Li Mo stood before the red-haired man, face blank but voice trembling with fervor:
"I want... the adaptation!"
The red-haired man smiled. He knew the beast within Lin An had fully awakened.
